# Kyle Vogt

> Kyle Vogt is a Kansas-born serial entrepreneur and robotics pioneer who has founded three billion-dollar companies before age 40. He co-founded Twitch (acquired by Amazon for $970M), founded Cruise Automation (acquired by GM for $1B+), and currently leads The Bot Company, developing AI-powered household robots. Starting as a teenage BattleBots competitor who built his first self-driving car at 14, Vogt left MIT to pursue entrepreneurship, becoming one of the rare founders to create multiple unicorns across live-streaming, autonomous vehicles, and consumer robotics.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at The Bot Company
- **Organizations:** The Bot Company, Cruise Automation (former), Twitch (former), Justin.tv (former), Socialcam (former), Charlie's Acres
- **From:** Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (did not complete), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, High School Diploma, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
- **Known for:** Co-founded three billion-dollar companies: Twitch, Cruise, and The Bot Company, Twitch acquired by Amazon for $970 million in 2014, Cruise acquired by General Motors for over $1 billion in 2016

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Built first self-driving prototype at age 14 using Power Wheels car with cameras
- **2004** — Participated in DARPA Grand Challenge while at MIT
- **2004-2007** — Studied Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at MIT, interned at iRobot
- **2007** — Dropped out of MIT in junior year to co-found Justin.tv
- **2011** — Co-founded Socialcam (acquired by Autodesk for $60M in 2012)
- **2011** — Co-founded Twitch as spin-off from Justin.tv
- **2013** — Founded Cruise Automation, participated in Y Combinator
- **2014** — Twitch acquired by Amazon for $970 million
- **2016** — General Motors acquired Cruise Automation for over $1 billion
- **2016** — Co-founded Charlie's Acres farm animal sanctuary with wife Tracy Vogt
- **2022** — Became CEO of Cruise (previously CTO and President)
- **2023-11** — Resigned as Cruise CEO following regulatory suspension in California
- **2024-05** — Founded The Bot Company with $150M seed funding
- **2025-03** — The Bot Company raised additional $150M at $2B valuation
- **2026** — The Bot Company reportedly raising $250M at $4B+ valuation

## Achievements

- Co-founded three billion-dollar companies: Twitch, Cruise, and The Bot Company
- Twitch acquired by Amazon for $970 million in 2014
- Cruise acquired by General Motors for over $1 billion in 2016
- Socialcam acquired by Autodesk for $60 million in 2012
- Pioneered autonomous vehicle technology at Cruise, deployed robotaxis in San Francisco
- Participated in historic 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge at MIT
- The Bot Company raised $150M seed funding at $550M valuation in 2024
- The Bot Company reached $2B valuation in 2025
- Built self-driving vehicle prototype at age 14
- Competed in two seasons of BattleBots
- Co-founded Charlie's Acres, a 32-acre farm animal sanctuary

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — The Bot Company reportedly raising $250M at $4B+ valuation
- **2025-03** — The Bot Company raised $150M in funding round led by Greenoaks, valuing the company at $2B
- **2024-05** — Launched The Bot Company with $150M seed funding from Spark Capital, Nat Friedman, and others
- **2023-11** — Resigned as Cruise CEO following California DMV suspension of autonomous operations

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevogt
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/kvogt
- GitHub: https://github.com/kvogt
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvogt/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kyle-vogt
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04